Ninjas!

Patrick's been on a ninja kick for a couple of years. I don't get it so I just assume it's a boy thing. Apparently it's also a man thing.



They're helmet liners that I found on Ravelry. Lots of fun and they can be ninjas for a little while. I'm going to do some more to donate for US troops. An easy knit for a good cause.
I looked at the photo and told Glenn he had the most beautiful blue eyes. He looked at me and asked "Could my head BE any bigger?" I answered in the negative, winked at him and walked away. I told you he was a bobble head!

Know When To Fold 'Em

Allyson and I started our Sock Of The Every Other Month Club last week. We went through about eight different sock books, picked out patterns, made a list and decided to pick one pattern every other month, to knit up. The first pattern we chose was from Cookie A's Sock Innovation book called Sam. I figured I'd use the Jitterbug Patrick picked out at Seaport Yarns and I'd knit up these socks for him. I mistakenly thought the pattern was made solely from using knit and purl stitches.
Ever have a moment when your expectations exceed your abilities? That's where I am now. I don't think I'll be able to do these. Not that the pattern is difficult, it's a lovely pattern and written clearly, but I just think it's not something I'm capable of doing at this point in my knitting career. It's a chart pattern, which I've never done, and it makes me a bit cross eyed. Maybe I'm chart impaired? I dunno. I just know that I started knitting because I enjoyed it. I find it relaxing and it gives my hands something to do when I'm feeling idle. I don't want to have to work at knitting right now. I think I just enjoy the ease of it too much and the instant gratification. I feel a bit in over my head with this pattern and don't want to feel that way about anything I'm knitting. I''m going to have to find something that's matched a little easier for me to do.
Now I just have to break the news to Al. She's gonna kill me.

Going Back To Brooklyn

Last weekend I decided to visit my friend, Maria, in Brooklyn. I met Maria on Twitter and she's come into the city to hang with me and Al so it was payback time. She's just started working at a brand new yarn shop and I'm always down for a trip to a yarn store.



I walked into La Casita while a class was going on. Hannah was teaching a beginners knitting class in the front of the store so I made my way to the back of the shop to settle in for a long winter's knit. I was warmly greeted by Maria and both of the owners, Jen and Amanda. Amanda was due with her first child and was glowing and beautiful. Jen was so sweet and gorgeous! Both seem so excited about this new endeavor they've begun together. The store is lovely. Lots of different yarns, a great selection of accessories and knitting needles and a warm space which included a fireplace! Patrick was with me and he was comfortable there.



The class went on for a couple of hours, lots of people came and went and I just sat back and enjoyed the ambiance of the shop. I sat and worked on my baby blanket, which I've since completed, and looked around a bit. They are going to be opening a cafe in the back which will sell coffee, tea, some food and, most importantly, wine and beer. I dunno how much knitting I'll get done once the wine comes but I sure am looking forward to it!
I purchased some Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran for baby hats and then I spotted this:



Isn't it gorgeous? It's Araucania Tocanao Solid and it's so lush that it looks like velvet and who doesn't like velvet??? I saw someone else purchasing several skeins of this and just couldn't resist buying one. Dunno what the heck I'm gonna make from it but I'm sure I'll think of something!
I'm looking forward to my next trip to La Casita for some more fun and knitting. Best of luck, Jen and Amanda!

Bob Does Brooklyn

We went to La Casita yarn shop over the weekend and while on our way we came across some awesome graffiti. Included in this graffiti, was a figure that's familiar to a lot of knitters, especially Ravelers. Sorry the photo isn't so great but it was taken with a phone camera through a closed car window. It's cold in Brooklyn this time of year!



Isn't that adorable? Right away I said "Bob must have come to Brooklyn to get his portrait done!" and we snapped the photo to share with everyone. Hope you think it's as awesome as I do.
More about La Casita in my next blog post. I promise to include photos too!

Winner Winner!

What a great turnout for my contest this time around! I want to thank you all for participating and showing me the patterns you're working on. There were some beautiful things in there and some great ideas for future knitting projects.
So Patrick picked a number and the winner is....drum roll please......

skaro964!

I went to Sheri's blog after her number was chosen to see who she was and found that she was giving 100% of all sales from her store, from now until the end of January, to Doctors Without Borders. I was happy to see that she was the winner and hope that she enjoys the yarn and book.
Karma, it's a good thing.

Destash Sock Of The Every Other Month Club

I emptied my drawer of all my sock yarn to pick out six skeins for our Destash Sock Of The Every Other Month Club. Geez, that's a mouthful. Well here's a photo of the yarns I chose.



The colors are true but I had to screw it up by cutting off the top of the picture. One day I'll get a good photo. Maybe.
Starting top row I have Jitterbug colorway tapis 72 then J. Knits colorway Rhinebeck. Next row first is Bare Sheep Yarn Company, on Etsy, colorway Peach Ice Cream. Then we have Aussie Sock WS23 Atlantic Weaves, next is Socks That Rock color Koi Koi and finally Aussie Sock WS01 Peach Cobbler.
Aren't they a lovely bunch? I tried to get a bit of everything in so far as manufacturers and colors. I learned that I don't have a lot of solid color sock yarn which I don't think is a bad thing. I also learned that my brain retains silly information, like remembering where and when I purchased every skein of sock yarn I have, yet I can't remember where the hell I put my glasses.

Knitting Book & Yarn Giveaway

I figured it's been a while since I'd done a giveaway so here we go!
I'm giving away one book by Sally Harding entitled Fast Knits, Fat Needles. It's a sweet book that has a lot of different accessory projects, especially bags. Since I don't have a lot of the yarn she calls for in her book, I'm giving away a skein of Cascade Alpaca Lace yarn. It's a lovely yarn I purchased a while ago and I have several skeins in hopes of, one day, making a shawl out of it. But I'm not much of a lace knitter yet so I thought I'd share this with one of my readers!
I always like to have a theme for my contests but I'm at a loss. Just tell me what you're working on and leave a link to the pattern, if it's free and you have a link.
I'm looking forward to seeing what you're all working on these days. I'm always open to being inspired. I'll be announcing a winner sometime this weekend.
Good luck!

A Peek

Here's a peek of the baby blanket I'm making for Joyce's baby.



Needless to say, this isn't the color. I had to play with the color because when Glenn took the photos, they all came out gray. Just plain old gray. Not that I have anything against gray, mind you, except when it's my roots or photos that aren't supposed to be gray. I used Picnik to try to get a bit more color into it so you can get an idea of the green. I'm more than halfway done and will have to block it.
I think I made a mistake on this. I ran out of yarn on one row and had to switch skeins in the middle of a row and when I weaved the ends in, it came out a bit of a mess. It's not awful but it ain't great either. I'm hoping that when I block it, it'll flatten and not be so noticeable.
This is really the only thing I've been working on lately. I know I'll have some yarn leftover so I think I'll make a little baby cap with what's left. I love the little icord hats and I've made one before so that will be fun. I'm still on the search for a baby hoodie I like.
Oh I've also been shopping in the Ravelry Destash Group lately. You really should check it out if you're looking for something. There are great deals and you're usually helping out another knitter who is selling part of their precious stash to raise money for something. I got two skeins of Cascade Heritage Handpainted yarn for $12 each! They're usually about $17 each so I got a great deal. I also purchased a skein of Brooklyn Handspun which I've been dying to try but it's a bit too pricey for me. I got it for $15 which made me very happy. But shhh, don't tell Glenn. He'll have to buy me another yarn closet at the rate I'm going.

Copycat!

I was reading a blog yesterday. It just so happened to be the blog that Jen writes. Jen's blog was the one that inspired me to begin knitting when I saw a pair of socks that she had made. It was the first time I'd seen hand knit socks (sheltered aren't I?) and I fell in love with them. I started knitting in hopes that one day, I could make hand knit socks just like Jen.
I copied Jen then and I'm going to copy her now. As I said I was reading her blog, Knitting Like Crazy and came across this post. Jen had decided to do a Sock of The Month Club from her own stash! Love this idea! I know it's not originally her idea but I'm glad she blogged about it. I called Allyson to see if she wanted to do this with me and she agreed. We're going to do a Sock Of The Every Other Month Club with yarns taken from our stashes. We have Ravelry to choose patterns from and I have these books:









I think that's all the sock books I have. I said I THINK. There may be a few hiding on me but that may well be it.
One pattern Jen had on her blog that I really like is the Bellatrix. It looks like it may be a bit difficult but I think I'm up to it. Maybe I'll make it last in our queue today so I have a year to get better at this.
I'm working on the blanket for my niece's baby and should have pictures to show soon. It's coming along really well! Oh other than the fact that the seed stitch border is supposed to be seven rows and I thought it said twenty. Don't ask because I have no answer for how I mistook one for the other. I made sixteen rows and it's staying sixteen rows.
Hope everyone's enjoying their new year as much as I am!

Busting Out Bertha

I decided to bust out and dust off Bertha to show you my new hat. This is the Amanda Hat which I found where else but Ravelry! I wanted a hat that wasn't tight fitting like a cap and this certainly suits me just fine. Here are a few photos of Bertha wearing the hat:







I knit this up in a couple of days and really enjoyed watching it come together. I enjoyed wearing it around the house even more. It's been in the teens here temperature wise and Glenn likes to keep the apartment a little chilly. Brr! Time to knit an afghan I think.
I've decided not to make the project I had chosen for my niece's baby and I'll tell you why. I don't like the way the pattern is written. It seems all the Drops patterns are not very specific and I've heard others complaining about it too. I don't want to pick a project that I'll get frustrated with because I know I won't finish it. I've chosen a lovely blanket pattern and I'm in search of a sweater to make to go along with the blanket. I'd like to find a little hoodie I think. We'll see. I'll be on the lookout.
I got 10 skeins of Filatura Di Crosa Zara which is a beautiful 100% Superwash Extrafine Merino Wool to make the blanket. It's in a lovely light green so she can use it for a boy or a girl. I think I'll get a different color for the sweater though.
The knee is still killing me so I won't be venturing far this week. I think Al's coming over for a knit & nosh which I've taken to calling our get togethers. The kids go back to school today, HOLLAH, so it'll be nice and quiet. Perfect for knitting.